Chicagoans are perennial boosters of their hometown specialties: the deep-dish pizza that's almost a casserole on a crust, the Vienna beef hot dogs topped with a salad of vegetables and relishes, the shirt-staining Italian beef sandwiches, the Southside barbecue joints, the cigar- and Martini-fueled steakhouses. These foods reflect the exhilarating combination of the Midwestern capital's ethnic diversity and love of big, beefy American food.

And yet, while Chicago remains true to its proud roots, it is also at the forefront of culinary experimentation. The current generation of Chicago-based chefs, including Moto's Homaro Cantu and Alinea's Grant Achatz, are turning out America's most cutting-edge foodfrom chemistry-lab cooking to dishes that show off the heartland's fertile bumper crop in simple yet sophisticated ways. The foie gras ban may have dealt a blow to liver-loving foodies, but thanks to these and other chefs, we have other things on our mind.